Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights

Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights
Studio album by HIM
Released 27 August 2001
Recorded Fall 2000—Spring 2001
Studio Finnvox Studios in Helsinki
Petrax Studios in Hollola
Crystal Sound Studios in Helsinki
Genre
Length 40:52
Label BMG
Producer
HIM chronology
Razorblade Romance
(2000)Razorblade Romance2000		 Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights
(2001)		 Love Metal
(2003)Love Metal2003
Singles from Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights
  1. "Pretending"
    Released: July 2001
  2. "In Joy and Sorrow"
    Released: October 2001
  3. "Heartache Every Moment & Close to the Flame"
    Released: January 2002

Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights is the third studio album by Finnish gothic rock band HIM. Released 27 August 2001, HIM began recording demos in the fall of 2000, with producer T.T. Oksala intending to release the initial recordings as the finished album. After being rejected by the record label BMG, producer Kevin Shirley was brought in, who clashed with members of the band over his style of working. The recording process took eleven months, with outside influences within the industry and the extended time frame causing friction with the album, which ended up with a sleeker and more pop-oriented sound than its predecessors. Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights was also HIM's first album to feature keyboardist Janne "Burton" Puurtinen.

Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights received mixed reviews from critics, with some praise being given to the songwriting and Ville Valo's vocal performance, but most criticized the album's production and overall commercial sound. Despite this, Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights charted in seven countries, peaking at number one in Finland and Austria, later going platinum and gold respectively. The album was also the band's first to chart on the Billboard 200 at number 190. Three singles were released, with all reaching the top two in Finland. The supporting tour for Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights saw HIM playing the US for the first time, but overall strained the band to the point of nearly breaking up.

Production

HIM began demoing songs for their third album in the fall of 2000 at Petrax Studios in Hollola, with producer T.T. Oksala.[4] The band were ecstatic with the initial recordings, deciding to use most of them on the finished album, with additional overdubs being done later.[4] The band's record label BMG disagreed however, with Valo believing they did not want Oksala producing the album, opting for a name producer.[4] BMG's Asko Kallonen refuted these claims, stating that he and the label were worried about the band's plans to release "essentially demos" as the finished album so soon after the exhausting touring cycle for Razorblade Romance.[5] Around this time, HIM also parted ways with keyboardist Jussi-Mikko "Juska" Salminen, who played his final show with the band on 31 December 2000.[6] Salminen was eventually replaced by Janne "Burton" Puurtinen, who had already played one show with HIM in the mid-nineties.[6]

With the addition of keyboardist Burton, the band's line-up would remain unchanged until 2015

Due to pressure coming in from BMG's international branches to repeat the success of Razorblade Romance, producer Kevin Shirley was brought on board to help helm the band's upcoming album, having previously worked with Bon Jovi, Aerosmith and The Black Crowes among others.[7] While Shirley was excited to be working with HIM, the band were not entirely on board with his style of producing, as well as the amount of money the label was spending on hiring him.[7][8] Despite this, Valo later admitted that some of Shirley's ideas did improve the material, including "Heartache Every Moment" and "Salt In Our Wounds".[8] The band were faced with multiple difficulties during the making-of the album, with Valo stating that "the industry wasn't expecting [Razorblade Romance] to be such a hit that it was, so it meant that now there was like seventeen thousand different A&R people from the record companies and whatnots in the studio, and everybody had an opinion."[9] The recording process for the album took approximately eleven months, which Valo felt was too long and affected the material too severely.[10] He explained, stating: "When we started recording the third album, we were into stoner rock and Black Sabbath [...] At the end we were into Neil Young and it shows on the record."[10]

After recording finished, the tapes were sent to Randy Staub and Chris Lord-Alge to mix, with additional mixing being provided by John Fryer, who had produced the band's previous album.[10] As with Razorblade Romance, Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights was once again mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound in New York.[11] The album's title is a photography term that Valo chose, because of its yin and yang symbolism that had been prominent in previous album titles as well.[12] After shooting the initial album cover, Valo was flown out to London for a photoshoot with Rankin after the UK division of the record label rejected the initial artwork.[12] The finished album cover for Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights took inspiration from Lou Reed, Patti Smith, and late 1970s New York City art circles.[13]

Music and lyrics
"Heartache Every Moment" (2001)
"Heartache Every Moment" was described by Ville Valo as HIM's "best calling card so far" at Ruisrock in July 2001.[14]
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The overall sound of Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights has been described as more commercial and "poppy" than its predecessors.[15][16] "Salt In Our Wounds" was deliberately chosen as the first track on the album, so that people would wonder "what the fuck are these guys doing" according Valo.[14] Despite its use of looping and other effects, Valo referred to the song as "the most Neil Young" of the album.[14] "Heartache Every Moment" was described as containing all the essential elements of the band's sound, including "the Bon Jovi, and the tongue-in-cheek gothicness of the lyrics".[14] "Lose You Tonight" changed the most throughout the recording process, originally starting out in the style of Cathedral, before ending up like "Bon Jovi on mushrooms".[14] "In Joy and Sorrow" was described as HIM's version of "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses, and was one of the last songs finished for the album.[14] Valo also singled out its "no frills, self-ironic directness" as one of the song's best qualities.[14] "In Joy and Sorrow" also features guest appearances from Apocalyptica's Eino "Eicca" Toppinen and composer Tuomas Kantelinen.[11]

"Pretending" was chosen by BMG to be the first single from the album, and while Valo has admitted to be indifferent toward the song, he still singled out its relaxed nature and lyrics as particular highlights.[17] Valo compared "Close to the Flame" to "Gone with the Sin" off the group's previous album, and described it as "sincere and direct".[17] "Please Don't Let It Go" started out in the style of The Stooges, but after Valo recorded an acoustic version of the song, the band chose to combine the two.[18] "Beautiful" also began life as a rock song, but the arrangement didn't fit, so it was reworked in the style of John Frusciante's first solo album.[18] "Don't Close Your Heart" was described by Valo as "Jefferson Airplane meets Bon Jovi", and lyrically deals with similar themes to "Join Me in Death", but from a different perspective.[18] According to Valo the song talks about how "if things go to shit, you don't have to sink into the swamp. You can ask for help and not close your heart."[18] "Love You Like I Do" was described as "Elvis on acid" and makes use of church bells, which was done as tribute to Black Sabbath.[18]

Release and promotion

Ville Valo performing with HIM at Ruisrock in July 2001

"Pretending" was released as the first single from Deep Shadows and Brilliant Hightlights in July 2001, and charted at number one on the Finnish Singles Chart, as well as number ten in Germany, among others.[19][20] "In Joy and Sorrow" and "Heartache Every Moment" followed in October 2001 and January 2002 respectively.[19] Both hit number two in Finland, and charted in Germany and Switzerland as well.[19][21][22] All three singles also received music videos.[23][24][25] The band had initially wanted Miikka Lommi to helm the music video for the "Pretending", but BMG and the UK marketing department refused, ordering HIM to go with Kevin Godley.[26]

Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights was originally planned to be released in May 2001, but was pushed back to August, so the band could start a supporting tour around the same time.[27] However, the UK division of BMG decided not to initially release the album in England, and suggested that European release should be pushed closer to Christmas.[27] Despite this, Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights was released on 27 August 2001, and charted six countries, peaking at number one in Finland and Austria,[19][28] and at number two in Germany and Switzerland.[22][29] The album would later be certified platinum in Finland and gold in Austria.[30][31] Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights also charted in the United States in 2004 at number 190, making it the band's first album to hit the Billboard 200.[32] HIM would go on to win "Export of the Year" at the 2001 Emma Awards, as well as the "Viewers' Choice Award" at the VIVA Comet Awards.[33][34]

Also in August 2001, HIM were invited to play a one-off show in the U.S., organized by professional skateboarder Bam Margera, whom the band had met in London while on tour for Razorblade Romance.[35] The official supporting tour for Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights began on 17 September 2001 in Hamburg, with Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus and The Mission serving as opening acts on the German leg.[36][37] The European tour lasted four months and 44 shows, which once again resulted in the band nearly breaking up.[38] Valo later explained: "The stress was at a level that I had dick on my forehead the entire run [...] I had done this for three years straight without a vacation. No wonder the dams broke at some point."[39] As a result, HIM took a two-month break in early 2002, during which time guitarist Mikko "Linde" Lindström and bassist Mikko "Mige" Paananen left for Nepal, drummer Mika "Gas Lipstick" Karppinen flew to New York, Burton took a week off in Turkey, before returning to Finland, while Ville Valo stayed in Helsinki.[40][41] HIM regrouped at the turn of February and March 2002, when Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights was officially released in the UK, which was followed by two promotional shows in Birmingham and London, with the first being sold-out and the second supporting The Mission.[41] In March 2002, the band began another Finnish tour, with Hiili Hiilesmaa's band The Skreppers serving as support, after which HIM returned to the UK for a more extensive tour.[42][43][44]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Blabbermouth.net9/10[45]
Rock Hard6.5/10[15]
Helsingin SanomatMixed[2]
Allmusic[46]
Soundi[47]

Deep Shadows and Brilliant Hightlights received mixed reviews from critics. Borivoj Krgin of Blabbermouth.net gave the album nine out of ten, and described it as "the group's most accessible offering so far", giving praise to the songwriting and Valo's vocal delivery, which he called the "most potently effective weapon in the group's musical arsenal".[45] Krgin did describe the band's intent on moving away from the direction of their debut as a "letdown", but concluded that "in purely artistic and commercial terms, however, HIM have made the logical follow-up album to one of last year's highlights, and they continue to cement their reputation as one of the most unique and consistent rock acts around."[45] Thomas Kupfer of Rock Hard, who gave the album 6.5 out of 10, criticized the production and the new softer approach, but did commend some of the songwriting.[15] He concluded by calling the album "no more than a good pop album".[15]

Jani Mikkonen of Helsingin Sanomat was mixed in his review, criticizing the sleeker production and softer sound, but gave praise to the addition of Burton and described the album's best moments as "straight-up pop songs".[2] Antti J. Ravelin of Allmusic awarded the album two-and-a-half stars out of five, and described its sound as "utterly boring" and the songs as "lacking hooks".[46] As a whole, he described Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights as a "horrible failure" musically.[46] Tero Alanko of Soundi felt similarly, calling the album "ideal music for girls, who don't dig the music, but Ville Valo's looks and his lyrics' decadent imagery" and gave the album two stars out of five.[47] He also described the album as "anemic" and "devoid of moments, where the best parts of the band come together to form something more that the sum of their parts."[47]

In 2017, Valo revisited Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights and described it as a "fragmented, unnatural record", stating: "We were recovering from the cannon that was the last album and the way back to ground was through a lot of fumbling. There were too many chefs on the record than there should have been, so the end result was incoherent."[48]

Track listing

All tracks written by Ville Valo.

No.TitleLength
1."Salt in Our Wounds"3:58
2."Heartache Every Moment"3:56
3."Lose You Tonight"3:42
4."In Joy and Sorrow"4:00
5."Pretending"3:55
6."Close to the Flame"3:46
7."Please Don't Let It Go"4:29
8."Beautiful"4:33
9."Don't Close Your Heart"4:39
10."Love You Like I Do"5:14
Total length:40:52

Personnel

HIM
Guest musicians
Production

Charts

Chart Peak
position
Austrian Albums Chart[28] 1
Finnish Albums Chart[19] 1
German Albums Chart[29] 2
Italian Albums Chart[49] 37
Swedish Albums Chart[50] 44
Swiss Albums Chart[22] 2
US Billboard 200[32] 190[A]
US Heatseekers Albums[51] 10[B]
US Vinyl Albums[52] 11[C]
Notes
A.^ Peaked on 16 October 2004
B.^ Peaked on 16 October 2004
C.^ Peaked on 10 January 2015

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[53] Platinum 58,009[53]
Austria (IFPI Austria)[54] Gold 20,000*

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ "Metal Hammer Presents HIM: Tears On Tape -Fanpack magazine – pg. 1179". Metal Hammer.
  2. 1 2 3 "Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights Review". Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  3. ↑ "Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights Review". Metal1.info. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
  4. 1 2 3 Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.195. WSOY
  5. ↑ Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.196. WSOY
  6. 1 2 Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.169. WSOY
  7. 1 2 Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.197. WSOY
  8. 1 2 Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.198. WSOY
  9. 1 2 "HIM – Loud Legacy documentary". YouTube. 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  10. 1 2 3 Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.200. WSOY
  11. 1 2 Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights album sleeve notes.
  12. 1 2 Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.201. WSOY
  13. ↑ Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.73. WSOY
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.204. WSOY
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights Review". Rock Hard. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  16. ↑ "Ville Valo - MAD TV Studios, Greece - 06.04.2003". YouTube. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  17. 1 2 Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.205. WSOY
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.206. WSOY
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 "HIM Discography". Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  20. ↑ "PRETENDING" (in German). Offiziele Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 2017-06-08.
  21. ↑ "HIM Discography" (in German). Offiziele Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 2017-06-08.
  22. 1 2 3 "Discographie HIM" (in German). HitParade.ch. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  23. ↑ "HIM – "Pretending" (Music Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  24. ↑ "HIM – "In Joy and Sorrow" (Music Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  25. ↑ "HIM – "Heartache Every Moment" (Music Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  26. ↑ Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.202. WSOY
  27. 1 2 Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.213. WSOY
  28. 1 2 "Discographie HIM" (in German). AustrianCharts.at. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  29. 1 2 "DEEP SHADOWS AND BRILLIANT HIGHLIGHTS" (in German). Offiziele Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 2017-06-08.
  30. ↑ "IFPI - Tilashot - Kulta- ja platinalevyt". IFPI.fi. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  31. ↑ "Gold & Platin" (in German). IFPI Austria. Archived from the original on 2010-02-01. Retrieved 7 Feb 2008.
  32. 1 2 "HIM - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
  33. ↑ "Emma-winners". Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  34. ↑ "HIM - Pretending - COMET 2001+ interview with Ville". YouTube. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
  35. ↑ Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.227. WSOY
  36. ↑ Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.218. WSOY
  37. ↑ Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.218. WSOY
  38. ↑ Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.218. WSOY
  39. ↑ Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.223. WSOY
  40. ↑ Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.247. WSOY
  41. 1 2 Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.249. WSOY
  42. ↑ Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.251. WSOY
  43. ↑ Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.252. WSOY
  44. ↑ Juho K. Juntunen (2002). "HIM – Synnin viemää" p.253. WSOY
  45. 1 2 3 "Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights Review". Blabbermouth. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  46. 1 2 3 "Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  47. 1 2 3 "Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights Review". Soundi. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  48. ↑ "Jäähyväiset HIMille – Ville Valo kertoo, miksi Suomen suurin rockyhtye lopettaa ja mitä siitä seuraa". Helsingin Sanomat. 2017-07-02. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
  49. ↑ "Discografia HIM". ItalianCharts.com. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  50. ↑ "Discography HIM". Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  51. ↑ "HIM - Heatseekers Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
  52. ↑ "HIM - Vinyl Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
  53. 1 2 "HIM" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  54. ↑ "Austrian album certifications – HIM – Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 25 July 2017. Enter HIM in the field Interpret. Enter Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen

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